


match

by berryprimrose



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddles, M/M, Nail Painting, ibara gone soft, set back to when they were in the military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryprimrose/pseuds/berryprimrose
Summary: Ibara finds something intriguing to do, Yuzuru gets caught up in it.
Relationships: Fushimi Yuzuru/Saegusa Ibara
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	match

The sun finally seemed as if it would take its rest for the day. Summer heat had been eating away at Yuzuru, and if he stayed outside for too long he's sure he'd be drenched with his own sweat in a minute. Fortunately enough, today had been a free day, no training nor work, which gave him the time to tidy up his room. Not as if there were that much to clean up in the first place, nonetheless Yuzuru has always found a way to keep himself busy, sorting and fixing the tiniest of details to feel the satisfaction of perfecting tasks.

He releases out a huff succeeding his final run down of the room, plopping onto the bottom bunk of his shared bed with an _oof_. To the right, he spots his hairbrush laying on top of his drawer, reminding him of yet another thing to do. Yuzuru sits up to reach and grab the handle, pulling out his hair tie and shaking his head to release the hair from its hold.

In a single motion, he brushes through the side of his hair, allowing it to reach the ends of the longer strands before bringing it to the crown of his head to repeat the process. It takes no time for the tangles to undo themselves, and Yuzuru ties his hair back into a ponytail with a hum, returning the hairbrush back to its place.

Right as he's about to lay in bed, Yuzuru hears footsteps approaching.

It's no surprise as to who it is however, because Yuzuru's never met someone who is purposely as loud and irritating as the person about to walk into the room. He watches in amusement as said boy slams the door open, taking two steps in before ripping his dirt-stained shoes off and throwing them aside. The orange-red sunset shines from behind him, and Yuzuru hates admitting that the way his skin glows is a bit fetching.

"Guess what I got!" He fake cheers with a smile, mischief lingering behind his words.

Yuzuru fights the urge to roll his eyes, playing along in spite of it. "Wow Ibara, what is it that you've brought today? Perhaps another poisonous bug you found in the dirt?" 

Ibara scoffs and turns his head away, "No stupid, it's even better than that." He walks over to their shared bunk, climbing up the ladder to sit on his bed. He digs in his pockets before pulling two small glass bottles, leaning over the end of his mattress to show Yuzuru.

"Isn't it neat?" Ibara snickers, waving the items in front of his eyes. Yuzuru recognizes them almost immediately.

"Where in the world did you find nail polish?"

"I was digging through this pile of junk I found near the front office, dunno who'd bring it but it was the only thing interesting there," Ibara shrugs, jumping off his bed. He waves a hand at Yuzuru, ushering him to scoot over before he sits beside him. Then, his eyes sparkle with curiosity. "Wanna try it?"

Yuzuru leans back, scrunching his face at Ibara's antics. "Do you even know how to– actually, isn't it hard to remove? Why should I trust you with anything that could possibly be permanent." Ibara laughs, pushing up the bridge of his glasses as he meets Yuzuru's eyes.

"Obviously you don't!" He places a bottle in his lap, opening the other in his hand slowly, "But aren't we supposed to be boys, you know, all rebellious and cool?"

"In what world are boys seen as cool for wearing nail polish," Yuzuru retorts, moving both his hands away from Ibara's reach.

"How subjective," Ibara boos, inspecting the brush. Coated with a light, earthy green color that could probably match their uniform, Yuzuru thinks he can see a bit of shimmer as Ibara moves his hand back and forth. He looks down at the other color, a pure black. As he studies the situation currently laid in front of him, Yuzuru weighs the pros and cons of giving into Ibara's shenanigans. For one, if the magenta haired boy beside him were to somehow spill any of the polish anywhere, not only could they get caught but Yuzuru would most likely have a heart attack. However there were days like these when he also felt like giving in, living a little– and Ibara always ended up being just the reason.

"Give me it."

"Bossy now are we," Ibara deadpans, mimicking his attitude. He closes the bottle to hand to Yuzuru, observing as the boy moves it at different angles, the glitter shining under the light of the sunset peaking through their window. Yuzuru twists it open, sticking out the brush towards Ibara's hand.

"Give me that too."

"M-my hand?! Hey I asked if i could do it on you first–"

Yuzuru reaches for one without warning anyways, and Ibara quickly moves away in retaliation. "You're not nervous are you, Ibara?" Yuzuru asks, almost mockingly. Although when he catches a glimpse of Ibara's worried face, the bite leaves his tongue. He sighs, "...I'll be careful, and if yours gets messed up we can ruin mine as well for fairness."

At that, Ibara perks up. "Sounds like a deal to me!"

Yuzuru grabs Ibara's hand, flipping it over so the palm faces their legs. He's never done this sort of thing before, (and he won't admit it to Ibara either), but he guesses that with all the training he's partaken in his life thus far, it's taught him enough to keep a steady hand while he paints a stripe of green down Ibara's nail. Applying it is easy, practically therapeutic as Yuzuru moves the brush to all the edges of the nail, making sure it's covered entirely. He dips it yet again into the bottle, wiping off the excess polish along the rim before he moves to Ibara's next nail. He's been awfully quiet and still as well, so Yuzuru pauses to look up at him.

Ibara is studying his hand, or maybe a more preferable way to explain it would be that he stared in awe. His mouth like a fish's, akin to an 'o' as he looks at the color on the single nail.

Yuzuru pretends not to see his face flush.

Ibara exhales sharply, jutting his fingers towards Yuzuru without a word. And maybe it had been better it stayed unspoken, because the way Yuzuru holds his hand and paints each nail ever so delicately is enough to speak for them both.

Time passes and Yuzuru is on Ibara's pinky finger, the last one until he's completed them all. By now, the sun had fully taken its rest, and Yuzuru ended up turning on the dim lamp that stood on his drawer.

"Paint this one black."

"Why?"

He ducks his head ever so slightly– resulting in Yuzuru's heart constricting as Ibara's hair falls into his eyes.

He answers shyly, and Yuzuru thinks he can even hear him pout, "....'Cus it'll look cool,"

So Yuzuru complies.

To be fair, it's quite endearing, the nails and Ibara's soft expression. Yuzuru twists the cap closed and places it beside him, reaching out to hold Ibara's hands. They glisten nicely and Yuzuru can't help stop the small smile that finds its way to his face. The moment is precious, a sense of peace engulfing them both as they stare down at their connected hands. Ibara doesn't move them away, instead looking up at Yuzuru with a face immersed in determination. "Let me do yours next."

Yuzuru clears his throat, "Sure, but make sure yours are dry before doing mine."

Ibara waits a bit before beginning, fanning his hands to assure they are entirely done. He grabs the black polish and begins his work.

When Ibara does Yuzuru's nails, it's clear he's no expert. There are parts on the sides of his nails where he's missed, and others he overdid. Yuzuru can even see spots of black polish on the skin beside his nails. It's cute nevertheless, Ibara focuses all he can and the tip of his tongue even peaks out from his lips. As he moves on to the next and so forth, he gains more control and swiftness, painting each efficiently until he reaches the last remaining nail. Ibara closes the black nail polish and sets it aside, grabbing the green instead. Yuzuru notes the way he similarly paints his pinky finger the other color.

"We're matching now?" He asks with genuine curiosity, watching as Ibara's ears burn red.

"You said that this would be fair, so I'm just doing the same for you," he huffs, closing the lid as he finishes Yuzuru's final nail. He tosses both of the bottles aside, allowing himself to slink off the bed and lay on the carpet like a starfish.

"Once my nails dry I'm going to bed."

"M'kay." He replies, voice muffled by the carpet his face is currently implanted into.

The two waited around until Yuzuru could touch his nails and feel that they've hardened completely. So with that, he turns off the lamp and shimmies under his covers. The room is almost entirely dark, aside from the small source of light streaming in through the window as the moon shines. He hears Ibara stand not much sooner, there are a few shuffling noises before he feels his bed dip. Ibara crawls under the bed along with him.

They are face to face, and Yuzuru can feel his small breaths dance across his cheek. Ibara turns and faces up, sticking his hands out as if he could even see them in the dimness of the night.

"I think they look cool," He whispers, tucking his hands underneath the blanket.

"I can't believe you're complimenting me Ibara."

"Shut up."

Yuzuru laughs softly, pausing before speaking, "...I can't believe you made me do this."

"Shut up."

Ibara turns away from Yuzuru altogether, pulling the blanket in the act of it.

He smiles, reaching out over Ibara's side to hold one of his hands. When he finds one under the covers, Yuzuru allows their fingers to intertwine, scooting closer towards Ibara's back. Ibara sighs in defeat and squeezes Yuzuru's hand in return, closing his eyes to give into his sleepiness.

Yuzuru hums, eyes fluttering shut as the peaceful tune of Ibara's quiet breathing fills his ears.

**Author's Note:**

> first fic on ao3!! woo!!! comments or kudos would make me very happy and thank you for reading ♡


End file.
